As you may know (hopefully you do, most of my blogs go along this vein) I am in the theater studies program of IES Abroad London. This is the first time during my four years at college that I have taken a full theater semester. A very special characteristic of this program is that we get to train with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) for six weeks. This short-course program is called “Ages & Stages of English Drama," and as its name suggests, it has everything to do with English Drama.

As I start to near the end of my abroad experience in Milano, I wanted to share all the things I will miss about being here. 

My birthday was plagued with surprises. My friend Bri gifted me one of the best presents ever: a ticket to watch a pantomime (panto as commonly known). A pantomime is a type of musical comedy stage production, usually for family entertainment. My professor Marina urged us to watch a panto, as it is a one-of-a-kind experience of British theater. She was not wrong. However, she was most definitely suggesting a traditional panto. The production we watched was not particularly a traditional panto per se, it was definitely not an all-family affair.

Hi again. As I am finishing the end of my study abroad experience in Milan, I just wanted to share all the things I wish I knew before arriving. 

1. Fashion

So generally a typical day in my life in Milan is not as exciting as the weekends I have spent abroad. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have to wake up early for my 9 a.m. Italian class. I always struggle to get to this class haha. I typically set an alarm for 7:30 a.m. and snooze it once, especially if I was up late the night before. Then I quickly get ready and I eat breakfast. My homestay family always has coffee made for me in the Moka and the table is set for breakfast. I typically am eating after they have both left for work but it depends on the day.

I knew from the get-go that studying abroad was going to change my life. I didn’t know how, of course, nor did I know the ways I would react to certain aspects of studying abroad, especially given my mental health history. I had very poor mental health throughout my teens, and in the past couple of years I’ve seen lots of improvement, but it’s a tricky edge on which I could easily slip. I knew that keeping my mental health good, or at least okay, was going to be a task in itself.  Before leaving the U.S.

An Amalgamation of Influence